The Gill Room & Battenkill Inspired

Sandy McReynolds, Gill Room Historian, is not one to appear on camera, but Hannah DeGarmo can put even the most behind-the-scenes type of person at ease. Learn about all of the treasures in the Gill Room at Greenwich Free Library.

I hope you enjoy the video. Currently, all of the Battenkill Inspired videos can be seen at kiosks at Crandall Public Library, & Greenwich Free Library. Or you can view the videos on the Folklife Center's YouTube channel. There are currently 28 shorts, including films on Cliff Oliver, Susan B. Anthony, Eddy Plow Works, & Bob Warren.


"Battenkill Inspired: The Flow of Creativity, Ingenuity, and the River" celebrates art and culture throughout the Battenkill watershed. Videos are released weekly as part of the celebration of the Folklife Center's 25th anniversary and Crandall Library's 125th year. . Filmed, Directed, and Edited by Kevin Rogan, Sara LaPell, Hannah DeGarmo & Todd DeGarmo Opening & closing music composed by Benjamin Phelps Closing image: "River Reflections" by George Van Hook www.georgevanhookartist.com Produced by Todd DeGarmo 2017 based on the exhibit, Battenkill Inspired Folklife Gallery January to June 2015 Funding for this project came from a 2017 Corridor of Commerce Grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Additional support was provided by: New York State Council on the Arts - Folk Arts Program Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust Helen & Michael Casper Fellowship for Internship Support

Write it Down

Any of you that came to the Underground Railroad Tour of Greenwich in June will remember the message from tour guide Cliff Oliver, "Write it down." He gave us this nugget of advice because many members of the Congregational Church involved in the Underground Railroad left written records of what happened, what they did, how they helped with the cause. Without this first hand documentation, we as historians would be in the dark as to the involvement of the citizens of Greenwich & Easton in the Abolition Movement.

Just some of my personal diaries

Did these citizens have a sense of their part in history? Is that why they took pains to record their part? In this particular case, I think so. But what about us? Do we realize our unique place in history? As an historian, I think I do. I keep a diary; a daily account of my everyday life. I also keep a number of journals; including ideas for embroidery patterns, poems, prose, ramblings & musings about various topics, an exercise log, etc. I also have 2 blogs, this one & one that is an extension of my embroidery design journal.

May 8, 2011 diary entry of Tisha Dolton

What about you? Do you journal or blog? Are you a diarist? If so, do you have a plan for what becomes of your writings & records? In my official capacity as Town Historian, those records belong to the citizens of the town & will stay in the custody of the Town of Greenwich, but what about my person records? I've been thinking about this more & more, as I completed my Information Science degree & while I was interning at the NY State Archives. Where would be the best repository to entrust my records? The Gill Room? My Alma Mater, & if so, which one? Hmmm...

Diary entry of February 24, 2007- Tisha Dolton

July 15, 2005 diary entry of Tisha Dolton

As you can see, my own diary entries are nothing earth-shattering, but they are my own. They provide a look into my life as a single parent, raising her daughter in the same house with her parents in rural, upstate NY. If my diaries were the only ones to survive, would this paint an accurate picture of history?

Diary entry of July 5, 2004- Tisha Dolton

If you want your story to be told, "Write it down." (Then preserve it in an archives.)

Historian vs. Archivist

As some of you may know, I am working on my Master's of Science in Information Science from the University at Albany, SUNY. (Information Science used to be called "Library Science" not too long ago.) My focus is on Archives & Records Management & I am currently interning at the NYS Archives in Albany.  & thinking about what to blog about today, I realized that many of you may not know what an archivist does. You may not even know what an historian does.

So, I did what most of us do in this day & age, I "googled" it.

The definition of an historian: a student, writer, chronicler of history

The definition of an archivist: one who is in charge of an archives & its collection

Didn't we learn in grade school not to define a word by using the word? These definitions are vague & flawed, but I think you get the idea. An archivist cares for, describes & preserves records, documents for posterity. An historian uses those documents as evidence to prove, or disprove, the point of their writing.

As a public historian, I am not supposed to amass a collection* of documents pertaining to Greenwich history. I am supposed to look at those records, read, study, synthesize, then write & talk about Greenwich history. This blog is one attempt at that.

Recently, I received a package of documents pertaining to the United Presbyterian Church of East Greenwich. Mostly they are bits of ephemera that, singly, may not amount to much, but as a whole could be useful to someone studying local churches or local businesses. I plan on transferring the documents to the Gill Room so that they can be accessible to researchers. Here is a taste...

Documents relating to the UP Church of East Greenwich

*Many of my colleagues do because there may not be a suitable repository available.

Greenwich in the NYS Library

Some of you may know that I am working on my Master's of Science in Information Science (MSIS, formerly MLS) at the University at Albany, SUNY. I have one semester left & hope to graduate just one month after my 10 year anniversary as your Town Historian!

Today I had an interview at the New York State Archives in Albany, & it got me wondering if there were any collections relating to Greenwich. Well, The NYS Archives only deals with governmental records. So, unless the town or village governments sent records to the Archives it's unlikely they have any relating to Greenwich.

But, what about the New York State Library? They have a "archives" as well called Manuscripts and Special Collections. Running down their list of finding aids (documents that contain descriptive information regarding records in a collection) I came across the following listing...

Stevens, Mary J.
Letter. (1852). 1 item.
Collection Call Number: 20420

Letter of Mary J. Stevens to her mother, describing her new life as a teacher in Greenwich, New York. She complains about Greenwich as a place populated by "Old Bachelors and Old Maids".  

I might have to request this item to take a look at what else Miss Stevens says about our fair town in 1852.

The NYS Library has some other interesting things. I recommend you take a look at their online finding aids. I found collections & records relating to suffragists Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Belva Lockwood, Amelia Bloomer, & an interesting collection of correspondence between one of my grandmother's favorite authors, Frances Parkinson Keyes & Eleanor Roosevelt.

I also found a collection of the New York State Association Opposed to Women Suffrage records. I will have to look at those & see if I can locate anything on Mary Arthur McElroy.   The NYS Archives finding aids can be searched by clicking here.  

& after my interview today, I took a look at the NYS Museum (in the same building). I highly recommend a new travelling exhibit from the Smithsonian being featured; 1934: A New Deal for Artists. Some of the paintings are of Upstate NY, & the labels are very descriptive.

Uncommon Archives Usage- Archives Month

First, let me apologize for the generic-ness of this post. It does not specifically pertain to Greenwich history, but I think it will be of interest to you.

I earned my undergrad in History from SUNY New Paltz in 1998, & have been contacted for money countless times. However, in recent years New Paltz has been sending out an occasionally interesting magazine. I received the latest copy the other day & came across a very interesting article about another alum from the History Department.

In the Alumni Profile*, Anders Parker ('95) talks about going to the Woody Guthrie Archives located in Mt Kisco, NY (http://www.woodyguthrie.org/archives/archivesindex.htm). What I find so intriguing is what came out of that visit. They weren't writing a scholarly paper, or a book, Anders and his musical colleagues were there doing research to compose songs. They used previously unused Woody Guthrie lyrics to create contemporary folk renditions for the album "New Multitudes," a near pitch-perfect tribute to Guthrie in the year of his 100th birthday. (for a more in depth look at this project see below.^)

This project illustrates the power & use of archives. They can be utilized for so much more than genealogy & historical research. Archives can help bring beauty into the world. They can continue the legacy of an icon. What project will you use archives for? Designing a quilt? Inspiration for a poem or children's book? Research for a play or documentary? Visit me in the Town Offices, or visit the Gill Room in the basement of the Greenwich Free Library. Visit the County Historian or the Washington County Archives in Fort Edward.

OCTOBER is ARCHIVES MONTH in NY!

The above video about Parker and company using the Woody Guthrie Archives is from Rounder Records on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBRtXVyESQ0&feature=colike

If you are interested in the album, check it out on Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=new+multitudes+deluxe+edition&sprefix=new+mul%2Cpopular%2C194

References:
* The New Paltz Magazine, Fall 2012, p.18
^ http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/03/new-multitudes-interview-anders-parker/

Saratoga Springs History Museum & Bolster Collection

As I sit here trying to think of what to write about each (almost) week, I usually think of this idea that I had when I decided to start this blog. the idea was to not only write about Greenwich History, but to also write about local museums and research facilities, being an historian, & offer book reviews. So, I have decided to write about a place I visited recently.

The Saratoga Springs History Museum in the Canfield Casino is in Congress Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. http://www.saratogahistory.org/ If you have not been there in awhile, or not at all, I highly recommend it. They have 3 floors of exhibits & there is something for everyone. There are gorgeous dresses, a new exhibit on Kaydeross Park with vintage games, the furnishings of the Walworth family, & a ghost exhibit. The gift shop is great too! But when I was there last week, it was not to view the exhibits. It was to talk about old papers and negatives.

The Beatrice Sweeney Archives contains many documents pertaining to local people & businesses. One such collection is the Caffe Lena papers. In 1960 Lena Spencer opened Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs  & it is the oldest continuously operated coffeehouse in the US. http://www.caffelena.org/

The George S. Bolster Collection contains over 325,000 negatives from 1855-1980. These negatives are from photographers such as Harry B. Settle, Seneca Ray Stoddard, Jesse S. Wooley, & George Bolster himself. Reprints of these photographs are for sale on their website, or by visiting the collection on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday from 10:00-3:00 p.m. (appointments are appreciated).

Some of the George S. Bolster Collection in storage boxes

Part of the Beatrice Sweeney Archives

The Bolster Collection & Sweeney Archives are amazing local resources to utilize in research. Whether you are an author writing a book about the area, like Geoffrey O'Brien (The Fall of the House of Walworth) or a resident looking for an image to hang in your living room, I encourage you to look right in your own backyard & discover what is right there!